Happy New Year!

Tsunami Relief Efforts

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For more information about donating, click here.

E-Cards Now Available

A Selection of ads have been converted to E-Cards, as well as a few others, including Finding Nemo and Sponge Bob Squarepants!

Click to "E-Cards" by using the Navbar (to the right!).

Goodbye 2004! Merry Christmas!

MERRYCHRISTMAS

No more ads for 2004, so see you all in 2005!

Be sure to check out Clayscience's new site featuring all her amazing Amazon charts.

A Very Clay Aiken Christmas, 12/24

Congratulations Clay on a Fantastic Year!

New XMas CD Ad!

General Christmas Promotion

Christmas CD Promotion

General Promotion Dec. 8/2004

CDD Holiday Flyer!

This is the special project I have been working on. A flyer advertising everything Clay!
CLICK ON THE COVER TO START!

2nd Christmas Special Ad

Clay Aiken Christmas NBC Promo

Christmas CD/DVD Ad! 11/30

LTS Ad- Nov. 27

NBC Clay-Mania Ad 11/24

LTS/Christmas CD Ad- 11/21

LTS Ad- 11/19

McDonalds is Sponsoring Clay's Joyful Noise Tour!

GOING ONCE... GOING TWICE... GOING TO MEET MULTI-PLATINUM SUPERSTAR CLAY AIKEN COURTESY OF McDONALD’S® CORPORATION

"Aiken" for Clay? Winning eBay Bidder on Exclusive Clay Aiken Handprints Will Receive Framed Piece in Person During Aiken's Holiday Concert Tour Sponsored by McDonald's. Clay's handprints have generated so much buzz and funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities® that McDonald's Corporation is announcing today that the winning bidder of the Clay Aiken handprints will be awarded the signed cement handprints from Aiken personally at one of his holiday concert tour stops this year. Aiken's Holiday Concert Tour, sponsored by McDonald's, kicks off November 21 and goes through December 23, 2004. The winning bidder will be contacted after the auction to make sure all their information is verified.

Clay Talks About his book on the Today Show

The many chapters of Clay Aiken's life
02:14 PM EST on Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Watch this story
Clay Aiken has come a long way since his days on 'American Idol.' His debut album "Measure of a Man" went double platinum and a new holiday CD "Merry Christmas With Love" just hit store shelves on Tuesday. Now Aiken can add author to his list of his accomplishments with his new book "Learning to Sing." Aiken turns 26 on Nov. 30.

Fighting a cold, Aiken appeared on NBC's Today show to talk with Katie Couric:

Why do you think this was the right time to tell your story?
I don't know that I would call it an autobiography. It was more of an opportunity for me to tell different stories that happened to different people I met, different experiences I had in my life and just talk about what I learned from it. The "Idol" experience itself is such a big lesson. It taught me a lot about myself, a lot about what I’m doing. But there’s so many other things that have happened that it took sitting back and looking at what I’ve gone through to kind of know how I became who I cam today.

What did the whole "American Idol" experience teach you, other than it’s fun to be famous?
It didn't even teach me that! Sometimes it teaching you that it's not so fun. You know it taught me a lot about believing in myself and having a lot of confidence in who I am and what I believe I'm good at. There are a lot of other things that happened before that that I didn’t realize taught me that I’m good at certain things. So it was an opportunity to look at being picked on in middle school and how that helped me identify myself and what it took to be proud of who I am.

In the book you write, "I was dubbed a loser throughout most of my childhood. As a kid I was an insult magnet, a nerd who loved his grandparents, who wore the wrong clothes, who liked the wrong things, who had goofy hair and glasses, who didn’t smoke or drink. It made for a very lonely childhood."
I think it's about accepting who you are. It's not about whether you wear the right clothes. I mean, there are plenty of people who do wear what's considered cool and buy the most expensive things and they’re not happy with themselves. I think it's about knowing who you are and believing in yourself no matter what you wear, what you look like, how you do your hair, or even if you do it on your own.

How did these things that you experienced in your childhood scar you? Clearly it must have been tough and it must have had some type kind of lasting impact for you.
I think that a lot of the bad stuff – my mom always said it's not worth going through anything if you're not going to learn something from it – and I've always come from family where we were told to laugh things off. We always laughed things off. We're not confrontational; we don't really let things get to us. That's one of the things I've always been taught.

Is that good or bad?
I don't know that it's necessarily great, but it hasn't proven to be bad for me. As I sat down and wrote about things like my biological father, my estranged relationship with him and the death of my sister and my relationship with my stepfather, it was very therapeutic to actually have to think about what I learned from each experience. My relationship with my stepfather was kind of strained throughout my teenage years and it took his illness for me to really see him in a more human light. I think one of the things that made his death so difficult is that sting of regret that I never actually formed a better relationship with him. It was actually very draining to go actually go through some of that stuff. So I think that holding some of my feelings about that in and not expressing it beforehand made me regret the fact I didn’t have a relationship with him more.

I know that you were a special ed teacher before this whole crazy ride began. You've said once this is all over you're going to go back to Raleigh. Do you really think that's possible to go back? Can you go home again?
It's tough to even go back now. I don't know if I'll be able to be a teacher necessarily. I don't think I'd garner much respect as a teacher right now, but part of what I want to do with the foundation that I helped set up is maybe be able to teach on a larger scale. I kind of still see myself as a teacher. I see this as an opportunity to do the same thing. I don't know if this book will change anyone's life, it will probably give them something to rest their coffee on.

Clay's CD and Book Go on Sale Today!

News 14 Carolina

Clay Aiken's Christmas CD goes on sale11/15/2004 8:47 AMBy: News 14 Carolina Staff

Attention Claymates - Clay Aiken's Christmas CD, "Merry Christmas with Love", goes on sale at midnight Monday.

Aiken's memoir, entitled "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life" will also go on sale Tuesday.

Tickets for his December 12th show at the BTi Center in Raleigh went on sale Friday morning and sold out immediately.

A second show was scheduled and those tickets sold out just as fast. This will be the only stop in the Tar Heel State for Clay's “Joyful Noise” Tour.

Clay on KBIG!

Rumor that Clay might be on KBIG 104 in Los Angeles Wednesday

UNICEF Article

Press Release Source: U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Musical Artist Clay Aiken Appointed UNICEF Ambassador
Tuesday November 16, 8:26 am ET
Aiken Takes Message of 'Education for All' Center Stage


NEW YORK, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, multi-platinum artist Clay Aiken became a National Ambassador for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. A budding philanthropist and long time education advocate, Mr. Aiken will use his Ambassador status to help ensure that children everywhere are afforded a primary education.
"Education is the best investment any society can make for the health and well-being of its children," said Charles J. Lyons, president of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. "Clay Aiken, like all of our National Ambassadors, was chosen based on his compassion and deep commitment to helping children around the world. We're very pleased to have him join the UNICEF family."

Long before his current singing career, Clay Aiken's life ambition was to work with individuals living with disabilities. Mr. Aiken intended to pursue a career in special education. Although his time and energy has turned toward the music industry, he remains passionate about assisting individuals with developmental delays, specifically children, to live full lives in the real world.

There are currently 121 million children not in school around the world. Ensuring that all children everywhere are given the opportunity for a solid education is one of UNICEF's highest priorities. Universally, education is the number one conduit for children's health, wellbeing and longevity. It also helps transform villages, communities, and nations, ultimately leading the world towards greater health, prosperity and stability.

Within the umbrella of education, UNICEF supports programs that train teachers, fortifies teaching curriculums, delivers school supplies; create emergency schools in conflict zones and emergency settings, and uses education to help prevent the global pandemic of HIV/AIDS.

"Everyone deserves the best start in life, which is what UNICEF is working to provide the world's most vulnerable children," said Aiken who is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. "Education is essential to a child's development. I hope that as an Ambassador I can encourage people to join UNICEF's mission to make education a reality for children throughout the world."

Since his ascendancy on America's Pop Charts over a year ago, Mr. Aiken has founded his own foundation, the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. It will provide grants and other one-on-one services to individuals living with disabilities so that they may participate in programs and work environments that are normally designed for persons without disabilities. The foundation will encourage and facilitate community inclusion and the empowerment of individuals with disabilities.

ABOUT UNICEF

Founded in 1946, UNICEF helps save, protect and improve the lives of children around the world through immunization, education, health care, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. For more information, please visit www.unicefusa.org or call 1-800-4UNICEF.

ABOUT THE BUBEL/AIKEN FOUNDATION

The mission of The Bubel/Aiken Foundation is to provide services and financial assistance to facilitate fully the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of those without. The Foundation will create awareness about the diversity of individuals with disabilities and the possibilities inclusion can bring. Through collaborations with the disability, education, entertainment, and media communities, the Foundation will recognize those whose commitment to breaking the stereotypes attendant to the developmentally disabled has broken barriers and extended the boundaries of the human experience for all.

Clay Book Signing at Virgin Megastore in Orlando - DEC 16th!

Thanks to hawaii42 from the Clayboard:

I am happy to announce that Clay Aiken will be doing a book signing at the Virgin Megastore at Downtown Disney on December 16th. The "tentative" time for the signing is noon. We currently, are handing out 150 laminates to secure a place in line for the instore. We may be giving out more, but as of right now...we only have 150.

In order to get a laminate, you must purchase the "Learning to Sing" book at the Virgin Megastore at Downtown Disney. Laminates are given out one per person (not per purchase) and are on a "FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE" basis. So, if one person buys 5 books, you will only get ONE laminate. Purchases can not be made over the phone...they must be done in person only.

Suprise Announcement on Larry King?

CNN Promos indicate that Clay will annouce a suprise tonight, like on LKL.

Christmas Special Picture

Courtesy the CH:

Christmas Special- Joint NBC/RCA Press Release

MULTI-PLATINUM RECORDING ARTIST CLAY AIKEN RINGS IN THE HOLIDAYS DURING HIS FIRST TELEVISION
SPECIAL ON NBC ON DECEMBER 8

BURBANK -- November 15, 2004 ? NBC will showcase multi-platinum recording artist star Clay Aiken as he sings classic Christmas carols on his first television special, "A Clay Aiken Christmas," on Wednesday, Dec. 8 (8-9 p.m. ET). The music special comes just weeks after the release of Aiken's first book and holiday album, as well as the start of his holiday concert tour.

The hour-long studio special will feature Aiken and Special Guest star Barry Manilow as well as gospel singer Yolanda Adams and NBC's "Will & Grace" star Megan Mullally.

The program will come on the heels of Aiken's first book, "Learning to Sing," and his debut holiday album "Merry Christmas with Love," scheduled to be released on November 16. Likewise, Aiken's "The Joyful Noise" concert tour begins on November 21.

Aiken's first single "This Is the Night," made history by becoming #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart as it sold 392,000, beating Elton John's 1997 record for "Candle in the Wind."

Aiken issued his first full-length studio album, "The Measure of a Man," in October 2003.

Barry Manilow's unparalleled career is made up of virtually every facet of music, including performing, composing, arranging and producing. A 2002 inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Manilow has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. He has received Grammy, Emmy and Tony Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award. He's just released his 43rd album -- "Scores ? Songs From Copacabana and Harmony" -- which features Manilow's personal renditions of the songs he has written for two of his major musical properties, "Copacabana and Harmony." Manilow also was named the "the showman of our generation" by Rolling Stone in 2002.

Two-time Grammy winner Yolanda Adams has long been one of gospel music's biggest stars. Adams soared to new heights with the 1999 release of her Elektra Entertainment debut "Mountain High...Valley Low." The album featured the smash hit "Open My Heart" and spent much of the year at #1 on Billboard Magazine's Gospel and Contemporary Christian Charts, eventually selling over one million copies. Her subsequent Elektra albums, "Christmas with Yolanda Adams," the live release "The Experience," and her latest, "Believe," have further strengthened her position as one of gospel's best loved and most successful artists. .

Mullally is an Emmy winner and three-time Screen Actors Guild recipient who made her Broadway debut in the 1994 revival of "Grease" with Rosie O'Donnell. She then received an Outer Critic's Circle Award nomination for her performance as "Rosemary" in the Broadway revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" opposite Matthew Broderick. Her Los Angeles stage credits include "The Berlin Circle" at the Evidence Room Theater and her performance earned her the 2000 Backstage West Garland Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play and the LA Weekly Award for Best Leading Female Performance. Mullally has also appeared in "Mayhem" at the Evidence Room, as well as a variety of other plays and musicals in both Chicago and Los Angeles.

Mullally's concert appearances include the 2003 Kennedy Center Gala with Patty Lupone and Michael Feinstein and Los Angeles' Disney Concert Hall. One of Mullally's fondest projects is her glamorous cover band, Supreme Music Program, with whom she has released two CDs, including her most recent in "Big As A Berry" on Fynsworth Alley. Supreme Music Program has essayed a successful performance art piece, "Sweetheart," and will perform this Fall with the Seattle Symphony and at the Oklahoma Civic Center before appearing next year at the Kennedy Center.

Four-time Emmy winner Louis J. Horvitz is the executive producer and director of "A Clay Aiken Christmas." Horvitz is one of Hollywood's most prolific live television event directors. Horvitz' expertise has been recognized by his peers with numerous Emmy and DGA nominations.

This past September, Horvitz earned his 10th nomination and won his fourth Emmy Award while directing the live Emmy telecast.

Additionally this year, Horvitz has helmed over 15 high-profile events including his
eighth year as the director of the Academy Awards, his 12th year as the producer/director of the Peoples Choice Awards, his 10th year as co-producer/director of the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award, director for MTV'S VMAS, VH1's "Divas and
Hip Hop Honors," "Bad Boys of Comedy" (a film series for Sean "P Diddy" Combs), and more.

Horvitz, now in his eight year as executive producer and director for "An Evening of Stars," is in the final editing stages for this four-hour tribute to Quincy Jones. In addition, he is putting the finishing touches on an ultra-stylistic film "Music 101".

Upon completion of "A Clay Aiken Christmas" Horvitz will fly to Washington, D.C.,
for his 12th tour of duty as the director of the Kennedy Center Honors.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Tracy St. Pierre, NBC Entertainment Publicity, 818/840-3648, tracy.stpierre@nbc.com
Roger Widynowski, RCA Records, for Clay Aiken,


Here's more info:

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8

A CLAY AIKEN CHRISTMAS -- (8?9 p.m.)

JOIN CLAY AIKEN AND GUEST STAR BARRY MANILOW, GOSPEL SINGER YOLANDA ADAMS AND MEGAN MULLALLY (WILL & GRACE) AS THEY PERFORM TRADITIONAL YULE TIDE CAROLS
HAVE YOURSELF A CLAY AIKEN CHRISTMAS -- "A Clay Aiken Christmas" will feature favorite carols performed by Clay Aiken and duets with Special Guest Star Barry Manilow and gospel singer Yolanda Adams as well as a solo by "Will & Grace" star Megan Mullally. The 1-hour special will air at 8pm on NBC, December 8.The intimate performance is set against a traditional Christmas backdrop complete with holly and snow. Four-time Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz is the executive producer and director on this project. Songs featured in the special include "Santa Clause is Coming to Town, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, "Mary, Did You Know?" and "Happy Holidays." The special will come on the heels of Aiken's first book, "Learning to Sing" and his Holiday album "Merry Christmas with Love" album both scheduled to be released on November 16. Aiken will begin his holiday tour "The Joyful Noise" on November 21.

LINK 1
LINK 2

DVD COVER!!

Courtesy Amazon:

IE will recap the AMA's. Check local listings.

Clay came out with Kathy Griffin, in a nice casual suit and rectangular shaped glasses. Kathy was wearing a wedding dress and the two played out a mini-skit about Kathy wanting to marry Clay.

Clay on Inside Edition Tonight

IE will recap the AMA's. Check local listings.

Clay will perform on LKL Tonight!

From the CB:
I have some GREAT news! A friend of mine who is behind the scenes and in the know, has told me that Clay is scheduled to perform on LKL tonight, time permitting!

Clay on ET

Clay was shown on the recap of AMA on Entertainment tonight!

MCWL Promo- November 15

Less than 1 day until release!!!!
Here one more ad:

And two different colored ones:

James McGuire

(from his About Top 40 column):

In the world of Clay Aiken, this coming week is a product launch like no other. This Tuesday, November 16, he releases his holiday CD, Merry Christmas With Love. And on the very same day, he also releases his autobiographical book, "Learning How To Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life." Yes, it's unusual for someone to put out a CD and a book on the exact same day. Funny thing is, the book is being released by Random House and the CD is being put out by RCA -- two completely different companies. Yet apparently they've synchronized their watches on this one, hoping for some media synergy. That is, they're hoping interest in the CD will fuel interest in the book, and vice versa. As far as I can remember, the book-CD same day release is a first. It'll be interesting to see how it does. Probably pretty well.

Some Sunday Circulars Ads for MCWL

K-Mart

BestBuy

Circuit City


Target

Clay doodle sold for charity for $2,200!

Trump’s pen tops Doodle Day auction

Jodean Fox of Bettendorf leaned over the table where a doodle by baseball Hall of Fame righthander and former Chicago Cub Fergie Jenkins was on display.
Picking up the pin on top of the bidding form, she looked over her shoulder, and added $5 to the $175 bid, taking it to $180.
There was just 15 minutes left in the silent auction.

“We’re trying to get this for our brother, Joe Klein, for his 50th birthday,” Fox explained, adding that she and three of her siblings were in on the deal.
“We really want that,” she added. “His wife couldn’t be here. She’s at the Iowa-Minnesota game. But she told us to bid on it.”

And $180 is not a bad price to split between four people, she said.
Joe should really appreciate their efforts, whether they got the item or not. “He’s 47 now,” Fox said. “We’re just thinking ahead.”
Fox was just one of more than 300 people who attended the biannual auction at the Bettendorf Public Library. The event, the Library Fund’s Author & Celebrity Doodle Day, benefits the library and its many programs.

Doodles are scribbled artwork, sometimes drawn aimlessly, especially when preoccupied. There were 109 signed doodles and autographed photos on which to bid, each contributed by a celebrity from music, sports or TV and the movies to authors of adult and children’s books.

Others came from people like politicians Geraldine Ferraro, radio psychiatrist Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss. There was even a skyline doodle by Donald Trump that hit the $300 mark during the silent auction. Even domestic diva Martha Stewart sent a signed photo.

Vicki Brogan of Bettendorf bid on an autographed photo of former astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn. “That one’s for my husband,” she said, as she upped the bid to $90.
Brogan also put a bid on a signed photo of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. “That one’s for me because I’m originally from Texas,” she added.
Bidding in the silent auction began at 6 p.m., and immediately two favorites were in contention. One was by the late master chef Julia Child, who died Aug. 13. By 7:45 p.m. the high bid on her doodle had reached $350.

The doodle drawn by singer Clay Aiken was going for $800 by 7:45 p.m.
“We had a good dozen or so calls from around the country about the Clay Aiken doodle,” said Todd Klein, executive director of the Library Foundation.
It seems word got out that Aiken had done a doodle and some advertising ended up on the pop star’s Web site, he added. “So we’ve taken a few proxy bids on it tonight.”

The top 10 doodles and photos in terms of number of bids as well as money would go from the silent auction to the open auction, Klein said.
Faye Clow, library director, said they begin contacting personalities and other people for doodles and photographs almost as soon as one auction is over with. “You can tell who are the most creative by who draws outside the square,” she said.

John Riches, a member of the library’s funding board, said that the last auction two years ago brought between $20,000 and $25,000.

Klein said this year’s goal of $27,000 easily was reached. “The Donald Trump piece went for $3,200, while the Clay Aiken piece went for $2,200,” he said.

Carmen Rasmusen to appear at SLC Concert

Courtesy Carmen's Site
November 13, 2004
Carmen will be performing live with Clay Aiken in Salt Lake City on November 29, 2004 at Abravenal Hall .

Newsweek Reviews LTS

Clay Aiken and Renee Fleming would like to teach the world to sing. A tale of two memoirs

(click)

AMG says Clay's Christmas CD is an Enhanced CD

"Holiday, Enhanced"
AMG LISTING OF MCWL

Review of Clay's book in Entertainment Weekly-Nov.19

Thanks to gailkent from the Clayboard:

I was just checking some magazines in the supermarket and picked up Entertainment Weekly the November 19th edition with Colin Farrell on the cover. On page 87 they have book review section and Clay's book is there. Its pretty positive but I didn't like the remarks the reviewer made about his mom. The reviewer states Clay mom is a source of comfort, inspiration and holy terror. From what I have seen I don't think Faye would ever be a holy terror.

Clay to perform at Christmas @ Rockefeller Center-NBC TV

NBC Press Release:
Tuesday, November 30 2004
.
.
NBC SPECIALS --(8:00PM-9:00PM) --(TV-G )
.
"Christmas In Rockefeller Center"
.
NBC CONTINUES A HOLIDAY TRADITION WITH ITS LIVE, SEVENTH-ANNUAL NATIONAL TELECAST OF THE 72nd CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS CHRISTMAS TREE -- "Christmas in Rockefeller Center," hosted by Al Roker and Nancy O'Dell, is a star-studded one-hour special from Rockefeller Center in New York City. The popular musical lineup for the special will include a mix of current hits and favorite holiday music with performances by Hilary Duff, Kenny Chesney, Clay Aiken, Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey, Chris Isaak, Michael Buble, Vanessa Williams, and The Rockettes. "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" is produced for a national audience by WNBC and TWI, the television division of IMG (International Management Group). Steve Mayer and Adele Rifkin are executive producers, Mike Mathis is event producer and Steve Grymes is Producer/Director.

Music Industry Expert- Clay is a HOT commodity

From the CH:
From the It's Really Not Just Us Files...

Spoke to a friend of mine tonight from my music industry days in Nashville. I haven't talked to him in quite a while. He's done everything with practically everybody. U2, McCartney, Elton John, Springsteen, Rolling Stones, Jackson Browne, Phil Collins, Moody Blues, Santana, Matchbox 20...names keep coming, I could go on and on. He's a musician, songwriter, engineer, producer...truly brilliant and deeply inner connected.

Right away I'm dying to talk to him about Clay, get his reaction. I don't have to wait at all. He asks what I'm up to and I tell him. Of course Clay comes into the conversation.

"Now there's a guy who's going places," he says.

"You think so?" I ask.

"Oh yeah. He is THE buzz right now. And in the circles he's really kind of a mystery."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know at first with the Idol thing it was like, okay, flash and burn...fifteen minutes and poof. But he shocked the hell out of everybody when they really heard him. He's got a voice that made everybody pretty much drop their pants."

(I'm seriously biting my lip now.)

He continues. "You know the music industry right now is floundering...it's all over the place. Sure, it has it's peaks and valleys, but there's no defining element. I'm telling you...he could be it. There's a buzz and it's everywhere, at every level. I hear it in the studios, I hear it from the execs, I hear it from musicians...this kid is shaking the rafters. He's going to be around for a long time, and he's already a force to be reckoned with."

"So why won't they play him on the radio?" I ask.

"Radio is and has always been a mafia. With what he's got...who cares if he's on the radio? Ten years from now...hell, two years from now he will be so huge that will be a joke. People are already begging."

"Begging?"

"He is one of the hottest commodities around. But I hear he is very selective. That's the best sign of all. He either has a good head on his shoulders, good management...or both."

"So...do you like him?"

"I have to admit, at first I didn't pay much attention. But then I caught him on some late-night show. Don't remember which one. I was riveted. I couldn't believe his stage presence. And that voice! It just does something...I don't know, he grabs you somewhere, takes something vital and leaves you...I honestly don't know how to describe it. He's a superstar...no doubt about it. I wish I had a piece. So does everyone else."

I have been floating ever since this conversation. We know...we've always known. But now they know, too.

Clay teaming up with Kathy Griffin for AMA's

From the CB:
I received a message from the Shrine Auditorium where Fred
is working on the American Music Awards. He has been there
a few days and before that he was working at the Dick Clark
Office. Fred said that Clay is scheduled to be a presenter and will be teamed up with Kathy Griffin. “This should be very interesting”

Next week will be a busy week for Fred; he will be a guest at
Clay’s CD release party on Tuesday and has been invited to the Bubel/Aiken Foundation Dinner on Friday and he will be at Clay’s Christmas Concert in Pasadena on Sunday.

Greg Evans, the creator of Luann Comic Strip, is also going to be a guest at the CD release party in Los Angeles at the Burbank Hilton.
Greg has a new collection of Luann Comic Strips out in book form, although the Clay Strips will not be collected in book form until the next book put out by Greg, Fred thought it would be nice if the Clay fans knew about the latest Luann Collection. Here is a link to Greg’s new book on Amazon.com. It is called “Dates and Disasters:A Luann Collection". I thought I would pass this along with this message just in case anyone would be interested in checking it out.
RS (Please Bump!)

Clay in CNN Article!

Paging readers

Clay Aiken is a double-barreled media threat on Tuesday. Not only does the former "American Idol" runner-up have a Christmas album, "Merry Christmas With Love" (RCA), due out, he has a book: "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life" (Random House).

CNN aired a Larry King promo today

Clay was show. Don't forget to tune in on Monday!

Clay to speak at 2005 Pacific Rim Disabilities Conference

PACIFIC RIM CONFERENCE ON DISABILITIES
Clay Aiken named guest speaker for Monday, February 28
This conference is scheduled for Hawaii.

Clay on MuchMoreMusic Profile

Thanks to tiffers66 from the Clayboard:

Clay is on MMM Profile right now. I was flipping through channels and saw ruben talking about Clay's AMA win and then they started playing Invisible!

People Extra with Clay on Cover will be a Walmart Exclusive

EXCLUSIVE TO WALMART
The NY Daily News

In another bow to Wal-Mart's power, a special issue of People is on sale only in the giant chain's stores.

People Extra, priced at $3.95, is an 80-page issue that features cover girl Faith Ford, Clay Aiken and other stars in holiday celebrations and family gatherings.

Kraft Foods is the sole advertiser in the issue, which was also sent to 925,000 subscribers.
The parent Time Inc. sells the women's mag All You only in Wal-Mart, and other publishers also are targeting its customers.

Clay's Doodle on Charity Auction

Doodling for a Cause
By Lynne Voelliger

If you're looking for something fun and different to do Saturday night, plan to spend it at the Bettendorf Public Library. John Travolta will be there. So will Al Pacino and Jay Leno, if only on paper.

Nearly 100 famous actors, authors, athletes, politicians and celebrities have donated their autographs and doodles to help The Library Fund raise money at its 4th Author and Celebrity Doodle Day.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. and will be hosted by Gary Metivier of KWQC-TV6. Guests will have live entertainment, hors d'oeuvres and fun as they consider bidding on the doodles of Clay Aiken, Betty White, Dr. Laura Schlessinger and others.

"I would like to invite everyone to come to this fun and unique event,” said Todd Klein, executive director of the library fund. “There is a doodle for everyone.”
The majority of the framed doodles will be up for bid during the silent auction. The live auction will begin at 8 p.m., when 10 of the more popular bids will go to the highest bidder.

“In the past, winning bids have ranged from $50 to $1,000 each,” Klein said. “We have even had a couple go for almost $3,000.”

Proceeds from Doodle Day will benefit The Library Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides funding for library programs, services and technologies.

“We regularly support the summer reading programs, the Booker Bear Reading Challenge for Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley first-graders and the purchase of new books,” Klein said. “These programs and others enrich the lives of children, families, seniors and new readers in our community.”

The first Doodle Day was held in 1998 and has been held every other year since. About $25,000 was raised at the last Doodle Day, held in 2002. Organizers hope to reach the goal of $27,000 this year through the doodles and donations.

Faye Clowe, director of the Bettendorf Public Library, is thrilled with the event.“Doodle Day has a loyal following. There are 300 to 400 people who usually attend,” Clowe said.

The Library Fund staff works year-round on obtaining doodles for the event. “We draw up a list of doodles we'd like to have and send those people a packet with the request,” Clowe said. “We're so pleased with the positive responses that we get.”

Doodle Day is open to the public and admission is free. Reservations are not required.

Possible 2nd Raleigh Christmas Concert to include non-NC residents

Far-flung fans feel invisible
N.C.-only policy for Clay Aiken concert stirs discord
By MATT EHLERS, Staff Writer
News & Observer

If Clay Aiken is on stage, there's a good chance that DeDe Hicks is in the audience. Hicks has seen Aiken in concert 29 times -- and she carries memories from each show -- but his performances at this year's N.C. State Fair stand out because they were in his hometown. "Being there, watching him perform, it feels like you're a part of everything," said Hicks, who lives in Memphis, Tenn. " Everybody who doesn't live in Raleigh and is a huge fan would love to live in Raleigh."

So when she found out that attempts would be made to restrict tickets to North Carolina residents for his Dec. 12 performance at the BTI Center for the Performing Arts, she wasn't happy. "At first I was honestly hurt. I didn't know what he was trying to do. I felt excluded," said Hicks, 30.

Big Doings in Clay's World

Tickets for Clay Aiken's Dec. 12 performance at the BTI Center for the Performing Arts will go on sale at 10 a.m. today. See www.ticketmaster.com, visit a Ticketmaster outlet, or call 834-4000. Tickets will be restricted to eight per customer, up from the six originally announced. They will range from $47.50 to $75.

But if you can't snag tickets, don't fret. You will have plenty of opportunities to experience Clay in the next few weeks. The guy is all over the place.

He made the cover of TV Guide on the strength of Sunday's appearance on the American Music Awards (it starts at 8 p.m. on ABC) and the Dec. 8 "A Clay Aiken Christmas" on NBC.
His Christmas album, "Merry Christmas, With Love," arrives Tuesday, and so does his memoir, "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life."

And she had company. Aiken-related Internet message boards have been bouncing around the pros and cons of the policy since it was announced.

Tickets for the performance will be limited to phone and Internet orders paid for with a credit card attached to a North Carolina ZIP code. In-person transactions will be available only at North Carolina Ticketmaster outlets. Meymandi Concert Hall will seat about 1,600 for the concert.

The policy came about after local fans complained that out-of-towners snapped up a large number of the State Fair tickets via an Internet ticketing process. The request came from Aiken via his management, said Jim Lavery, BTI general manager.

The North Carolina-only policy was welcome news for local admirers, but "it's causing some friction with fans across the nation," said Dawn Graham of Fuquay-Varina, who helped organize an Aiken fan convention in Raleigh earlier this year. "I think he was trying to give back a gift, but I'm not sure he realized it could backfire."

Non-North Carolina fans have complained that their money is as good as anyone else's, and that the fans who travel tend to be the most loyal and shouldn't be shut out. Locals have said they should have the chance to see him sing; after all, they were some of his very first fans.

In the end, Hicks -- who drives a car with a "CLA AKN" license plate -- thought on it and decided she wasn't upset about not being able to buy tickets.

"I will still follow him to the ends of the Earth, but I don't know if I'll ever come back to Raleigh," said Hicks, whose house features a three-room shrine to the singer. She wouldn't want to go against his wishes to see local folk in the audience.

But if North Carolinians snap up those tickets quickly, out-of-staters may have a chance to see him in Raleigh after all, Lavery said.

A second show has been slotted for Dec. 13 in Meymandi. That show will happen only if organizers see that tickets for the first show sell especially quickly. And there might not be much notice.

"They'll make that decision depending on how the first show sells," Lavery said. "They could add it 10 minutes after it goes on sale."

Ladies, start your computers.

EW Reviews LTS

Clay Aiken is far more intersting a person than a popstar and, God bless him, he's smart enough to know it. The 2003 American Idol runner-up dispenses with his experiences on the show (including, Claymates will be happy to know, the infamous "Grease" incident) in a few vague chapters toward the end. The bulk of the book/brand extension details his working-class North Carolina upbringing - including his abusive, alcoholic birth father and his fascinating, steel magnolia of a mother, a source of comfort, inspiration, and holy terror. (We suggest a sequel: Mama Clay Tells All!) Behind the polite narration emerges a complex guy with a folksy sense of humor ("I was teased by other kids like it was their job") and an endearing ambivalence about his own insta-celebrity. B-
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Note: B- is considerably good, considering many books, CD's and movies get C's and D's and even F's from EW.

S'Way an Amazon.ca Customer's Favourite

S'Way which is receiving an astounding 5/5 from over 95% of reviewers has ALSO been named a Music favourite of 2004 by Amazon.ca customers. Congrats Clay!
VIEW LIST HERE

Clay on GMA this morning

From the CB:
They interviewed him briefly. He gave advise to Tony the weather man, who will be presenting at the AMA's also. Clay said that when he used to sing in church, his preacher's wife told him to "just imagine everyone in the audience is in their underwear and you will do fine." So, Clay gave Tony that advice and said if it was ok for his preacher's wife to tell him that then it was ok for him to tell that to Tony.

Aiken's Two Shows Sells out in Raleigh in Minutes!

Aiken Sells Out Two Shows In Minutes
Singer Limits Sales Of Raleigh Christmas Concert Tickets To N.C. Residents

POSTED: 8:21 am EST November 12, 2004
UPDATED: 1:07 pm EST November 12, 2004

RALEIGH, N.C. -- There is no doubt about hometown crooner Clay Aiken being a hot ticket.

Tickets for the Raleigh native's Dec. 12 Christmas concert at Raleigh's Meymandi Concert Hall went on sale through Ticketmaster and at the BTI Center box office at 10 a.m.

The show sold out in one minute.

A second show was added for Dec. 13., but also sold out minutes later.

The general manager for Ticketmaster said it is one of the fastest sellouts he has ever seen.

Some Clayniacs expected as much and camped out early.

Karen Gilmore arrived at the BTI Center at 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

"I think after the State Fair, we just decided to take a different approach and try to get tickets at the box office," Gilmore said.

At Aiken's request, tickets for the first show were sold only to North Carolina residents.

"I think that it was unfair that people from other states got the tickets and then tried to sell them to people in North Carolina," Carolyn Berlin said. "That was unfair. My daughter was really disappointed."

For fans, the combination of Clay and Christmas spirit was something they did not want to miss.

Gilmore got the tickets she was hoping for.

"Thank you, Clay, for doing this for your home state. Some of your fans are a little upset, but we really appreciate you thinking of us and doing this show. We love you," Gilmore said.

Clay mentioned in Nov. 22 People's Magazine

There is a small blurb about the CD and TV Special.

L.A. Times

Thanks to calclay from the Clayboard:

Today's L.A. Times ran an article on Eminem"s early release date. The following is part of that article:

"Among the holiday gifts the industry is pushing are a cluster of new greatest-hits albums (Britney Spears, Toby Keith and Shania Twain hot sellers among them already), a holiday-music collection from Clay Aiken and new releases from Destiny's Child, Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg. The latter rap veteran's album, also from Interscope, has been moved up a week due to online file sharing and now arrives in stores Nov. 16."

Pretty good company for Clay!!

Merchandise for NAT Marked Down at Clay's Official Store

CLICK ME TO SEE NEW PRICES!

Clay- no "signs and screams" at JNT!

"This is a different kind of concert," says Aiken, who is setting out on his fourth tour of the U.S. in the last 18 months. "It's not meant to be a show where fans bring signs and scream. The goal is to be more intimate, almost semi-formal. The crew will be dressed up in their Sunday best and I hope the audiences will do the same."

Clay on ET on MTV and VH1

Also on "ET on MTV & VH1" this weekend: You've probably heard about TARA REID's wardrobe malfunction at P.Diddy's party, but we've got the other celeb sightings from the birthday bash, including PARIS HILTON, MARIAH CAREY and CARSON DALY; speaking of birthdays, we're celebrating the big 3-1 with cutie NICK LACHEY & JESSICA SIMPSON in Las Vegas; now you can have CLAY AIKEN 12 months a year with his brand-new calendar; BRAD PITT, MATT DAMON and the rest of the 'Ocean's Twelve' cast are spilling secrets; and we tell you how to dress like MISCHA BARTON, RACHEL BILSON and your fave stars from "The O.C."!

Clay on TV Guide Channel

Thanks to Manukachan from the Clayboard:

They basically talked about his book coming out and they showed bits of Clay on Ryan's show and the Invisible video. Plus, they showed Clay talking from different interviews, one of them being from the time when they interviewed him about Proud of Your Boy. Fans were also shown saying "He's hot!" and "He's adorable!" Clay was shown after that saying how he doesn't get how people are so entusiastic..and said.."Maybe it's my hair." lol It was around 3 minutes long or so. Maybe they will show it again, so I'd keep a look out for it.

Popstar Magazine loves Clay

From the CB:
Q: What is happening with the book Clay Aiken was supposed to write?

A: Clay's not the kind of guy to say he's gonna do something and then slack off. Nope, the always-busy American Idol hottie found time to finish his book even while he was working on his new CD! Clay's Christmas album is a ho-ho-hymn book of classics, but it's his book that's truly inspiring. Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life just came out from Random House and it features Clay's memories of all his friends who influenced him from his days living in Raleigh, North Carolilna, through the present. Popstar! strongly endorses Clay's music and his new book!

Christmas Ornament Now On Sale!

ORDER HERE

Clay singing... at BAF Fundraiser

Sources say he'll be singing BOTW and You Raise Me Up

Target online

Clay is #2 on Target online!

Merry Christmas With Love Ad- Nov 11

RCA Confirms Information about Clay's Christmas Special

New Clay biography at RCA

To the list of "Years Clay Aiken Will Never Forget," you can add "2004." As great as 2003 was for the singer born in Raleigh, North Carolina, 2004 has been even more spectacular, topped off with the release of a new Christmas CD and his first book. As the year comes to a close, Aiken embarks on his fourth tour of the U.S. in the last 18 months - this time it's a holiday tour to support his new album, "Merry Christmas With Love."

There's also his first network hour-long special. "A Clay Aiken Christmas", that will air on NBC-TV on Wednesday, Dec. 8th. Showcasing holiday songs from his CD, and will feature special guest stars Barry Manilow, gospel singer Yolanda Adams and “Will & Grace” star Megan Mullally.

Clay's Christmas tour begins Nov. 21 in Pasadena, Calif. He's scheduled to play 22 dates in 20 cities, accompanied by an orchestra. In some locales, like Atlanta, Clay will be accompanied by a local symphony or Philharmomic. The tour concludes Dec. 23 in Detroit.

Clay's first book, "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life," is published in hardcover by Random House on Nov. 16. Asked to write a book, Ckay declined to pen his biography at age 25. He opted for telling inspirational stories about people who had an impact on his life, either positively or negatively, and the lessons he learned from those experiences.

Clay's Christmas CD, also released on Nov. 16, features some of his favorite holiday songs, including "O Holy Night" and " Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." The album was produced by Walter Afanasieff and Phil Ramone. This is the follow-up to Clay's debut CD, "Measure of a Man, called "the best pop album of 2003" by Billboard. Certified triple-platinum, that first album includes "This Is the Night," the best-selling single of 2003, and "Invisible," an airplay hit at top 40 radio.

One song that didn't appear on "Measure of a Man" was the Neil Sedaka/Phil Cody-penned "Solitaire," which was released as a commercial single in 2004, backed with "The Way." The single has sold over 320,000 copies to date, making it the second-best selling single of the year. It was No. 1 for nine weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Sales chart.

Aiken's awards and achievements make for a very long list. Among the highlights: he won an American Music Award and a Billboard Music Award; he was musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" and appeared as himself in an episode of NBC-TV's "Ed"; he graduated from UNC Charlotte with a degree in special education; and he still managed to devote a lot of his time to The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which he created to foster inclusion of children with special needs.

Clay's amazing journey began at home in Raleigh, where his musical talent was evident as early as age three. His mother, Faye, worked at a local Sears, and Clay would stand up on the carpet samples and sing a song for a dollar. He joined the Raleigh Boys Choir and then his own school choir, and was cast in high school musicals like "Leader of the Pack," "Oklahoma!" and "The Music Man." One summer he landed a role in a dinner theater production of "The Sound of Music."

When he enrolled in college, music took a back seat. He studied special education and worked with individuals with autism. Clay planned his life out: he would teach for six years and then go to William & Mary to get a Masters Degree. He figured by the time he was 50; he would be a high school principal. It didn't quite work out that way. Clay was assigned to the Bubel family in Charlotte, N.C., to take care of their 17-year-old autistic son, Mike. It was Mike's mother, Diane, who insisted Clay try out for "American Idol." Clay preferred "The Amazing Race" but said he would follow Diane's suggestion if she would stop nagging him, It turns out that Diane had the right idea, but the television series was just the beginning of Clay Aiken's career. He is a bona fide success on the charts, on the road and in the hearts of millions of devoted fans.

Picture from TV Guide

Clay to talk with KIIS FM Los Angeles' JoJo Tonight!

From JoJo's Newsletter:
GUESTS ON THE "JOJO ON THE RADIO" SHOW!!!

Tonight - Tuesday November 9th

FABOLOUS will be dropping by the KIIS-FM studio to hang out with JoJo!!
(with special bonus questions from Hilary & Haylie Duff, Randy Jackson and Clay Aiken!!)


Tomorrow - Wednesday November 10th

Be listening as JoJo talks to: HILARY & HAYLIE DUFF, RANDY JACKSON, CLAY AIKEN, and Latin Superstar ALEJANDRO FERNANDEZ from the McDonald's World Children's Day fundraiser held today!!

Bookscan/NY Times Reporting

See which stores report and which do not!
CLICK HERE

Confirmation about Extra Content in Christmas Special DVD

Instores Dec 14!
Clay's Christmas Special DVD will feature extras that will not be shown on television when it is released on 14th.

Barnes and Noble Calls Clay's CD "A Winning Holiday Record"

Barnes and Noble

Wholesome American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken follows in the tradition of PC pop crooners Perry Como and Andy Williams with this album of traditional Christmas fare. For this family-friendly collection, produced by Phil Ramone (Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow) and Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey, Kenny G), the North Carolina native lends his dramatic vocals to a dozen Yuletide favorites that provide the perfect background music for tree trimming or nuzzling by the fire. Supported by lush string arrangements, Aiken easily switches gears from a snappy, Harry Connick–reminiscent reading of "Winter Wonderland" to a subdued version of "Sleigh Ride." The slight singer even sinks his vibrato-tinged chops into Celine Dion's "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day," which is given an R&B sheen, thanks to an arrangement of organ, gospel harmonies, and vocal phrasing that's more robust than anything else on the disc. Not surprisingly, this devout Christian really shines on the disc's more spiritual material -- whether it's the hand-in-glove fit of Aiken's pliable tenor with the children's accompaniment provided by Broadway Inspirational Voices on a delicate rendering of "Silent Night" or the robust phrasing reverberating throughout an uplifting version of "Joy to the World." Earnest and endearing, Aiken's Merry Christmas with Love is a winning holiday record. Dave Gil de Rubio

Clay's in Women in Business magazine

It's the American Business Women's Association magazine.
He's in the Nov/Dec issue.

Christmas CD Samples

They have been posted here.

Song Clips now at Gonzo's.

Now up at Gonzo's Depot.

Listen to Samples of Clay's "Merry Christmas With Love"

You can now listen to 30-second samples of all the songs from Clay's new CD, "Merry Christmas With Love" at MSN music.

Here is the track listing:

1. O, Holy Night 3:36
2. Winter Wonderland 2:47
3. Silent Night 2:14
4. Hark The Herald Angels Sing/O Come All Ye Faithful 3:58
5. Have Yourself A Merry LIttle Christmas 3:25
6. Mary, Did You Know 3:18
7. Joy To The World 2:10
8. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) 2:34
9. Don't Save It All For Christmas Day 4:30
10. Merry Christmas With Love 4:01
11. Sleigh Ride 2:58
12. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? 3:01

New Promo Photo

Come Spend the Holidays With Clay

The Charlotte Observer

Spend the holidays with Clay
Raleigh concert restricted to N.C. residents only
STAFF REPORTS

Clay has managed to squeeze a hometown stop in his Joyful Noise Christmas tour visiting 20 cities in November and December.

Aiken will perform at Raleigh's Meymandi Concert Hall and - at his request - efforts will be taken to restrict ticket sales to North Carolina fans. According to Raleigh's The News & Observer, Ticketmaster will allow only phone and Internet purchases with a credit card attached to a North Carolina ZIP code.

The holiday tour supports his upcoming holiday album, "Merry Christmas with Love," due in stores on Nov. 16. The collection includes the singer's take on standards including "Sleigh Ride," "The Christmas Song," "Winter Wonderland" and "Joy to the World," among others.

Aiken will be backed on the tour by an orchestra.

On the same day that Aiken's Christmas album reaches stores, Random House will release the Aiken memoir "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life."

Aiken will make many television appearances to tout the book and album, including Nov. 15 on CNN's "Larry King Live," Nov. 17 on ABC's "Live with Regis and Kelly" and NBC's "Today," Dec. 6 on NBC's "The Tonight Show," Dec. 9 on ABC's "The View," and Dec. 10 on ABC's "The Early Show." According to his website, he'll also appear as a presenter on the Nov. 15 American Music Awards.

Picture from GDL

Someone who was at McDonalds posted this on RHT

Thanks to iluvuclay from the Clayboard:

McDonald's Event From RHT: I was not there. I got this report from someone who was there that posts on RHT.Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay folks, I'm back. (Actually I went to work from the event, so I have to keep this fairly brief - I'll post more later when I get home from work),

Clay was GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He was wearing blue jeans, a checked button up long sleeve shirt, under a brown v neck sweater. I think brown or black shoes. His hair looked really dark and nice reddish brown and his eyes -- they were so bright and sparkly!!!!!!!!!

He was in GREAT spirits, seemed really happy to be there and chatted with The Williams sisters, Carl Lewis and also Randy Jackson (who looked really good, btw).

Most of us could hear the proceedings, but since we weren't "invited" guests we weren't allowed inside the tent they had up in the parking lot for the event. For those of you who are also members of Our Man Clay (Winter and Jammin711's site) both Winter and Jammin were VIP guests and got to go inside. I know Jammin took great pics and she and Winter had their pics taken with Clay. I'm sure there will be pics posted on her site this afternoon.

Anyways, We got to see Clay as he mingled with the guests before going into the tent, and he waved to us (we were only a few feet away on the sidewalk), then he smiled for some of the fans who had cameras (now keep in mind there weren't all that many Clay fans - maybe a dozen of us),

After the mingling, he went into the tent and was introduced by the MC and he made a brief speech about the charity and so on. I was too busy swooning listening to his voice to catch most of what he said. After Clay the other celebs were also introduced and spoke, then when they had all gathered, they did the handprints.

After the handprints, they led the celebs into the McDonald's restaurant, presumably to take pics (I'm not really sure what they did in there, but all the cameramen followed them). They were only in there a short amount of time (maybe 15 minutes), then the celebs started coming out one by one.

Clay came out and some of the fans started to wave and say "Hi Clay" so he walked right over to us and said "Hi Guys" with a huge grin and started shaking each person's hand!!!! Bob and Linda were there and he looked at Bob and said "Hi Bob"! He asked one lady if she came far and she said "No, just from LAX". When he got to me, I froze (natch) and he took my hand and all I could do is stare into those green eyes and babble something totally incoherent. I think I said "I love you" for about the 800th time. He was wonderful.

I have some crummy pics, but I'll have to post them later when I get home. If I think of anything else, I'll update the recap later.

I.am.dead.now. *swoons*

Ad on the Oxygen Channel for MCWL

Thanks to fodderwing from the Clayboard:

I was watching Oprah's After the Show on the Oxygen Channel and they went to break and showed a lovely commercial for Clay's Christmas album. The ad said it will be on sale at Target on 16 November!!!
It shows him singing 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' - just a beautiful!

Also from FoxyLady From the Clayboard:

It was about 30 seconds long and showed the beautiful album picture.

"Clay Aiken, Merry Christmas With Love. The Brilliant new Album of Favorite Christmas Standards, performed only as Clay Aiken can. Including Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Oh Holy Night, and Winter Wonderland. Clay Aiken, Merry Christmas With Love. The Holiday album the whole country has been waiting for. Available at Target November 16."

He sang bits of each song as they were announced, then Sleigh Bells in the background during the rest. They had other pictures too, including the one with the Christmas tree.

Clay on Entertainment Tonight

Thanks to riversend22 from the Clayboard:

Once again...he's everywhere. They were doing their birthday special for the night and asked:

"Which pop singer made a guest appearance on Charmed"

Clay, Nick lachey, and Justin Timberlake were the choices.

HE"S IN GREAT COMPANY FOLKS!!

TV Guide Channel-AMA's

Thanks to too old for clay from the Clayboard:

The TV Guide Channel is having a pre-AMA special and Red Carpet show the day of the AMA's starting at 6pm. Maybe there will be a Clay sighting and/or interview.

Christmas Special guest list

Thanks to kellykellyk!

GLEN ROVEN

Glen Roven, four-time Emmy winner, is one of the rare musicians equally at home in both Classical and Popular music.

Current projects include: NBC’s CLAY AIKEN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, with Aiken, Barry Manilow, Megan Mullaley & Yolanda Adams.

Where to buy the book...

From GBB@theCH
Okay, we had a chance to talk to LPB this evening who provided some more information about the importance of making the NYT list, and some very interesting numbers showing just how few sales can make a difference in whether a book makes the list or not.

The importance of making the NYT list is immeasurable when it comes to exposure and prestige. We've all walked into bookstores and seen the big row of "New York Times Bestsellers" front and center. LPB notes, "Apart from prestige and store placement, many bookstores use the NYT list to decide what to discount, so books that hit the list usually get better, more visible placement in the stores as well as deeper discounts for the consumer."

Those discounts will often lead to even more sales, maybe extending its stay on the list -- as well as help out those in Clay Nation who plan to buy extra books as gifts!

So can a few early sales really make a difference in whether or not a book makes the New York Times list or not? Consider this week as an example. The difference in a book being #15 (and on the NYT Bestseller List) and #16 was only 240 books.

Some other numbers of note this week. The difference between the #1 and the #2 book on the NYT list was huge. #1 (Jon Stewart's America, still going strong with 6 weeks on the list) sold 70,000 books. #2 sold only 14,000 books. This could bode well for Clay's chances on the list, but Stewart's book sales are showing no sign of slowing, and LPB says that there are a number of expected big sellers from all houses around the time of Clay's release. That's going to make for a very crowded playing field.

Yet more numbers wonkiness: NYT and Bookscan tally their numbers differently.That is, not all stores that report to Bookscan report to NYT and vice versa. Looking at this week's Bookscan numbers vs. the NYT list shows an interesting development: According to Bookscan, the #11 NYT bestseller sold 3,439 books while the #15 and #16 books sole 4,198 and 3,958 respectively, both higher than the book NYT places at #11. Obviously, it's very important to purchase from stores who report to BOTH Bookscan and NYT.

These stores report to both NYT and Bookscan:

Brick-and Mortar
Waldenbooks
Barnes and Noble
Borders
B. Dalton
Books-a-million

Online
Amazon.com
BN.com
Borders.com
booksamillion.com
(Waldenbooks and Borders sell online via Amazon.com)

These stores all report to Bookscan but do not report to NYT
Buy.com
Costco
Fatbrain.com
K-Mart
Powells.com
Target

Reports of many people receiving LTS in Canada

Many people on various boards are reporting Chapters-Indigo Books Canada has sent our RANDOM HOUSE versions of LTS out already.... WOW!

Promo Poster- Nov. 8

Clay on Mix 105.1

I know this is kind of far in advance and hopefully it hasn't already been posted, but I've been told by a DJ on Mix 105.1 in Orlando that they will be interviewing Clay on November 18. The interview will be during the Scott and Erica Morning Show.

Even though MIX does not play Clay, both Scott and Erica have been very complimentary of him. Maybe this interview will be a start for getting Clay on that station. Even if they just played Clay's Christmas songs, that would be a good start. However, I do not think we should inundate this station with requests or act like crazy fans. I am only posting this so that no Clayfans in the Orlando area miss this interview because they do not normally listen to that station.

Clay will not be at the radio station, it is a telephone interview. I hope those Clayfans in the Orlando area will listen to MIX in the morning on November 18. Scott and Erica usually do a very nice interview of anyone that is on their show.

Aycock student sings with Clay

Goldsboro News-Argus

By Phyllis Moore

Casey Sutton called her marketing teacher a "Clay Aiken psycho" because of her avid following of the American Idol singer. But it paid off when Tammy Vail marketed the Charles B. Aycock High School junior right on stage with Aiken during his recent State Fair concert.
Mrs. Vail said she and Casey have been Clay fans for a long time, attending many of the same concerts but separately. She said she also knew that he has been bringing an audience member up on stage to sing a duet with him during his shows.
So when she learned that Aiken was scheduled to give two concerts at the state fair, she told her student, "We're going to the state fair and you're going to sing with Clay."
She said she has used the "American Idol" TV show as a model in her marketing class because students could relate to it and actually see how marketing takes place.
When a second show was added and she was successful in getting tickets, Mrs. Vail said she researched as much as she could on the computer. She learned that auditions were held with Clay's bodyguard before each show.
She knew which song to prep her student to sing -- "Without You," which Clay sang with Kimberly Locke, a finalist on "American Idol" the year Clay won.
Mrs. Vail took Casey and two other students to the fair on Monday, Oct. 18. Casey said they asked everyone from fans to police about how to find where to audition. When they did, they found they were not the first to arrive.
"There was a huge, huge crowd of people auditioning," Casey said. She estimated about 100 actually tried out.
"There were some really, really good ones and some that were definitely posers, wishing to sing," she said.
The bodyguard took Casey's name and seat number in case she was chosen. She soon learned she was one of three finalists.
Casey said it was difficult to focus on the concert and fully enjoy it because she was on pins and needles about who would be chosen to sing with Clay. About three minutes before she would make her stage debut, the bodyguard sought her out and brought her backstage, where she was given instructions.
Even though she said she was nervous, the butterflies went away when she walked out on stage. She said she asked Clay if she could have a couple of minutes to speak.
"I said hello to my friends, to my teacher in the audience," she said. She then thanked the women who had directed them to the audition, the police, "everyone I had run into the whole doggone day."
And then she impressed the crowd with her own vocal talent. She said she has been singing seriously for the last three years, and it is something she would one day like to pursue further.
Just as quickly as it arrived, the moment was over and Casey returned to her seat. Instead of being able to enjoy the rest of the concert, though, she said she immediately began phoning everyone to share her news.
"Someone had called my mom while I was singing on stage," she said. "So she listened to it."
"It's the first concert that she hasn't been to with me."
The daughter of Karen and Rick Sutton of Pikeville said she was given an autographed shirt by Clay's management to commemorate the occasion. After the concert, she found herself surrounded by autograph-seekers and well-wishers.
"One lady almost tackled me," she said.
And the number one question she was asked about her experience?
"Everyone kept asking me how he smelled," she said. "I was not thinking about smelling; I was thinking about breathing."

Published in News on November 7, 2004 02:08 AM

Inside TV Guide

Clay Interview & Book Excerpt on TV Guide

Clay is on the cover of the new issue of , with a new interview and an excerpt from his book: "Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life," which hits bookstores Nov. 16, the same day his album "Merry Christmas with Love" is released.

Here are some scans of the TV Guide feature:

Melbourne Concert Sells Out in 30 minutes

Clay Aiken Show Sells Out in 30 minutes
BY BREUSE HICKMAN
FLORIDA TODAY

Kristiana Strickland was among the first in line Friday morning to buy tickets to see Clay Aiken perform Dec. 16 in Melbourne.

Kristiana Strickland, 30, and her sister Kelly Strickland, 28, both of Vero Bach, got to the King Center in Melbourne at 3 a.m. to be the first in line for tickets to the Clay Aiken concert Dec. 16. Tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. for the "American Idol" alum's performance at the King Center for the Performing Arts. They sold out in a half-hour.

Strickland, 30, arrived at the ticket office at 3 a.m. Friday with her sister Kelly, 28.
"I knew this was a smaller venue and that we needed get here early," said the Vero Beach resident, adding that she wasn't a fan until Aiken released his CD "Measure of a Man."
"I never even watched him on the show," she said. "Then I heard the CD and I was hooked."
But Lola Iasell, 62, has been a fan since Aiken first made his appearance on the Fox talent show two years ago. She drove from Fort Lauderdale to get tickets.

"I love his voice," said Iasell, adding that she's seen him twice before in concert.
"I'm going to get his book and his DVD as soon as they come out." she said.

By 10 a.m. more than 100 people -- mostly women -- stood in line waiting for tickets to go on sale.

Stacy Heslin, 19, of Rockledge also has seen Aiken perform live and arrived several hours before tickets went on sale.

"I wasn't really an 'American Idol' fan until he came on the show," she said. "One night I had it on in the background and heard this beautiful voice. I turned around and here's this scrawny little guy singing. I couldn't believe it."

Susan Dike, 41, of Melbourne came to the ticket office at 9:30 a.m.

"Women my age love him," she said. "He started as the underdog and we all saw this nerdy little guy become this huge star."

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Clay to perform at Charity Gala tomorrow, Sun. Nov. 7

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Note: This gala will take place in Chicago on Sunday, Nov. 7

MCHONORS: Danny Glover hits town Saturday to pick up an Award of Excellence at the 20th annual Ronald McDonald House Charities gala at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont -- an event also honoring renowned medical anthropologist Dr. Paul Farmer and McDonald's franchise owners Wendy and Rick Lommen. All are being lauded for their work to improve the lives of children, with Glover and Farmer each receiving $100,000 and the Lommens receiving $50,000 for their favorite kids' charity. The entertainment at the gala will include a performance by none other than former ''American Idol'' finalist Clay Aiken.

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Clay with his mom, Faye Parker

Clay and Raleigh